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Appalachian State University baseball signed six student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period, ASU head coach Chris Pollard announced on Thursday.

Appalachian’s six signees, who will attend ASU beginning next fall and play their first season with the Mountaineers in 2012, are: middle infielder Brandon Burris (Concord, N.C./Mt. Pleasant), outfielder/catcher Luke LaSalle (Taylorsville, N.C./Alexander Central), first baseman/outfielder Alex Leach (Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell), left-handed pitcher Robert Marcello (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach/Indian River State College), right-handed pitcher Jamie Nunn (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mt. Tabor) and left-handed pitcher Jeffrey Springs (Belmont, N.C./South Point). “We’re very pleased to have these six fine student-athletes join our program,” Pollard said. “We feel that all six will be great representatives of Appalachian both on and off the field. I congratulate and thank recruiting coordinator Josh Jordan and assistant coach Chris Moore for their hard work in assembling one of our best recruiting classes ever.”

BRANDON BURRIS (5-9, 160, IF, Concord, N.C./Mt. Pleasant)Named preseason all-American by Perfect Game ... ranked among North Carolina’s top 50 players by ImpactScout.com ... earned all-conference recognition as a freshmen, sophomore and junior ... selected to represent North Carolina in South Atlantic Border Battle ... two-time State Games participant ... has compiled a .400 batting average as a prep while averaging five home runs, 25 RBI, 40 runs and 24 stolen bases per season ... has helped lead team to 63 wins in three seasons, including a spot in North Carolina 2A state semifinals in 2009 ... is a member of National Honor Society and was named the North Carolina Spit Tobacco Education Program Cabarrus County “No Spit” Athlete of the Year ... coached at Bryan Tyson ... also played for Charlotte On Deck O’s (coach Bo Robinson), the same program as former ASU standout Matt Andress ... was named Mt. Pleasant’s 2009 football offensive MVP ... also recruited by UNC Greensboro, Charlotte, Elon, UNC Wilmington, East Carolina, Western Carolina and NC State.

LUKE LaSALLE (6-1, 205, OF/C, Taylorsville, N.C./Alexander Central)Earned all-state, all-region and all-conference accolades and was named the Northwestern 3A/4A Conference Player of the Year as a junior last spring ... set a school record with a .507 batting average as a junior ... also hit six home runs, drove in 31 runs and compiled a .831 slugging percentage last spring ... also earned all-conference recognition as a sophomore ... two-time State Games participant ... coached by Jerry Whitman ... also played for LBC Diamond Rats (coach Jeff Schaefer), hitting .413 with 26 RBI last summer ... also recruited by Virginia and Western Carolina.

ALEX LEACH (6-4, 190, 1B/OF, Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell)Ranked among North Carolina’s top 30 players and nation’s top 500 players by PG Crosschecker ... listed as one of North Carolina’s top 50 players by ImpactScout.com ... hit .318 with two home runs, six doubles and 16 RBI last spring to help lead Ardrey Kell to the North Carolina 4A state championship series ... has been a part of one state championship team (2009) and one state runner-up (2010) ... coached by ASU alum Hal Bagwell, who also coached recent ASU standouts Matt Andress and David Rubinstein ... also played for South Charlotte Panthers (coach Don Hutchins), the same program as current ASU players Ryan Arrowood, Noah Holmes, Tyler Tewell and Tyler Zupcic and fellow signee Jamie Nunn and Jeffrey Springs ... also recruited by Charlotte and UNC Asheville.

ROBERT MARCELLO (6-3, 220, LHP, Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach/Indian River State College)Will have two seasons of eligibility remaining after transferring from Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla. ... was the No. 1 starter for Indian River as a freshman last spring, going 4-4 with an impressive 4.43 ERA while striking out 32 in 13 appearances ... coached at Indian River by Mitch Markham and at Royal Palm Beach H.S. by his brother, Douglas Marcello ... southpaw also played for Diamond Vision Elite (coach Chad Upson) ... also recruited by Georgia Southern, Radford and Central Florida.

JAMIE NUNN (6-2, 185, RHP, Winston-Salem, N.C./Mt. Tabor)Ranked among North Carolina’s top 35 players by ImpactScout.com ... earned all-conference and all-county recognition as a junior last spring ... excelled on the mound and at the plate, posting a 1.70 ERA while also hitting .300 ... named Mt. Tabor’s Most Valuable Defensive Player and received the team’s Pitcher’s Award ... coached by Mike Lovelace ... also played for South Charlotte Panthers (coach Don Hutchins), the same program as current ASU players Ryan Arrowood, Noah Holmes, Tyler Tewell and Tyler Zupcic and fellow signees Alex Leach and Jeffrey Springs ... is ranked No. 2 academically among approximately 400 students in his class ... also recruited by UNC Greensboro, Charlotte and High Point.

JEFFREY SPRINGS (6-2, 170, LHP, Belmont, N.C./South Point)Ranked among North Carolina’s top 50 players by ImpactScout.com ... two-time all-conference honoree ... named team’s MVP as a sophomore after going 9-1 with 105 strikeouts ... was 6-2 with a 1.62 ERA and 93 strikeouts as a junior last spring ... coached by Jason Lineberger) ... also played for South Charlotte Panthers (coach Don Hutchins), the same program as current ASU players Ryan Arrowood, Noah Holmes, Tyler Tewell and Tyler Zupcic and fellow signees Alex Leach and Jamie Nunn ... went 7-0 with a 1.80 ERA, one save, 11 pickoffs and 57 strikeouts in 62 innings for South Charlotte last summer ... off the field, is a member of National Honor Society and Beta Club